The invention relates to packaging and more particularly to packaging incorporating loudspeakers.
It is known from GB-A-2262861 to suggest a panel-form loudspeaker comprising:
a resonant multi-mode radiator element being a unitary sandwich panel formed of two skins of material with a spacing core of transverse cellular construction, wherein the panel is such as to have ratio of bending stiffness (B), in all orientations, to the cube power of panel mass per unit surface area (xcexc) of at least 10;
a mounting means which supports the panel or attaches to it a supporting body, in a free undamped manner;
and an electro-mechanical drive means coupled to the panel which serves to excite a multi-modal resonance in the radiator panel in response to an electrical input within a working frequency band for the loudspeaker.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,747 of STEINER discloses packaging comprising means for generating a signal or melody when opening the packaging. A resiliently mounted signal generator is disclosed.
Embodiments of the present invention use members of nature, structure and configuration achievable generally and/or specifically by implementing teachings of our parent application Ser. No. 08/707,012. Such members thus have capability to sustain and propagate input vibrational energy by bending waves in operative area(s) extending transversely of thickness often but not necessarily to edges of the member(s); are configured with or without anisotropy of bending stiffness to have resonant mode vibration components distributed over said area(s) beneficially for acoustic coupling with ambient air; and have predetermined preferential locations or sites within said area for transducer means, particularly operationally active or moving part(s) thereof effective in relation to acoustic vibrational activity in said area(s) and signals, usually electrical, corresponding to acoustic content of such vibrational activity. Uses are envisaged in parent application Ser. No. 08/707,012 for such members as or in xe2x80x9cpassivexe2x80x9d acoustic devices without transducer means, such as for reverberation or for acoustic filtering or for acoustically xe2x80x9cvoicingxe2x80x9d a space or room; and as or in xe2x80x9cactivexe2x80x9d acoustic devices with transducer means, such as in a remarkably wide range of sources of sound or loudspeakers when supplied with input signals to be converted to said sound, or in such as microphones when exposed to sound to be converted into other signals.
This invention is particularly concerned with packaging incorporating acoustic devices e.g. in the form of loudspeakers. The term xe2x80x98packagingxe2x80x99 is intended to encompass containers generally whether or not they are disposable.
Members as above are herein called distributed mode radiators and are intended to be characterised as in the above parent application and/or otherwise as specifically provided herein.
The invention is packaging comprising a loudspeaker, characterised by a board component forming a part of the packaging and acting as a member having capability to sustain and propagate input vibrational energy by bending waves in at least one operative area extending transversely of thickness to have resonant mode vibration components distributed over said at least one area and have predetermined preferential locations or sites within said area for transducer means and having a transducer mounted wholly and exclusively on said member at one of said locations or sites to vibrate the member to cause it to resonate forming an acoustic radiator which provides an acoustic output when resonating. The member may comprise a cellular core sandwiched between skin layers. The member may comprise a core of foamed plastics sandwiched between sheets of craft board. The transducer may be a piezo-electric bender, and the bender may be crystalline. The member may form one side of a box. The box may have a lid, and means associated with the lid for triggering actuation of the transducer on movement of the lid relative to the box. The packaging may comprise a signal generator, an amplifier and an electric battery to drive the transducer.